A Virtuous Woman
by RiaMarie1281
Summary: It has been said that the righteous man must protect the virtuous woman until she meets the chosen one. The chosen one and the virtuous woman will conceive a child that shall unite heaven and earth against hell. A/U season four fic. Dean/OFC/Castiel. No slash
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **I don't own Supernatural. **

**This is my first Supernatural Fanfic. Constructive criticisms are welcomed but please no flames. This story starts in season four and is A/U from then on. I'll update as soon as I can. I'm a Navy wife with two kids and a husband that has severe PTSD due to two tours in Iraq and fighting pirates in Somalia. I write when I can and I promise to update at least once a month. I hope you guys enjoy this beginning of my story and please review and let me know if it's worth continuing. Thanks so much.**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The sudden vibrations coming from the sleek black cell phone on the makeup table startles the young brunette from her troubled thoughts. A tiny tan hand quickly taps the accept button on her cell and instantly the familiar gruff voice of her favorite mentor grabs her attention.

"Hey kid. I got a situation here that your ahh book learning could come in handy with. Need ya here ASAP." Bobby Singer didn't like asking for help. The aging hunter could handle pretty much anything on his own, but when recently deceased Dean Winchester is standing in his living room Bobby knew he needed to call in some reinforcements.

"Sure thing Bobby, I'll hit the road right after my shift." The brunette rasps softly into the phone before ending her call.

Maria Soraya Gonzalez owed her life to that man and when Bobby Singer calls the curvy Latina drops everything to do what he asks of her. It's been seven years since the incident that changed her life took place.

* * *

Ria was a twenty-one year old girl just out of nursing school. She'd been so naïve and innocent back then. Ria was celebrating finishing school early and starting the next chapter in her life. Her best friend Amia had been determined to break her out of her good girl shell. Downtown Buffalo was their destination and Chippewa street was the place to party.

Ria had self-consciously tugged on her short black dress all night despite the fact that her mocha skinned best friend Amia told her she was fucking hot and to just accept that. Ria isn't exactly on the slim side but her size twelve is decently proportioned. La guitarra is what all the older Puerto Rican men in her old neighborhood called her in reference to her full breast, to the indent of her soft fleshy waist and the swell of her round hips.

Amia was the beautiful one, tall and lean with legs for days. Ria always felt awkward around girls like Amia and her very own sister Nina. Ria was short where they were tall. Ria was always too curvy while they were slim and waif like. They were classically beautiful where Ria was more sultry in looks.

That night at the club had been fun and thrilling. Ria let Amia dress her and eyes were following her stacked frame everywhere she walked. A tall dark stranger hadn't taken his eyes off of her most of the night. Ria wasn't exactly well versed in seduction but encouraged by her ballsy bff and a few shots of tequila the short brunette made her move.

Something about this stranger was intoxicating. He was dangerous and sexy and somehow had Ria ditching her best buddy to make out in the dark alley behind the club. It was all so cliché when she thinks about it now. The tall dark stranger with his mesmerizing eyes and seductive voice casting a spell over her, she should have seen it coming but she wasn't a hunter then.

Ria was just a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. It all felt so damn good until that moment the stranger had sunk his fangs in her throat. After that it all seemed to happen so quickly. One moment she's struggling to live and the next she's being tossed aside like a rag doll.

Woozy from blood loss, Ria could barely make out a hulking figure in a plaid shirt and trucker's hat wielding a large machete similar to the one her abuelito used to cut sugar cane on the plantations in Puerto Rico. Ria lay motionless but wide-eyed as the head of her attacker was easily separated from his shoulders by a swift hack of the machete.

"Hey…hey you alright?" The gruff voice startled Ria into a screaming fit, the shock of everything finally catching up with her. "Shut up will ya…don't need to make a scene."

Ria hiccupped back her sobs and wiped the tears from her dirty cheeks. The older man ripped a piece of his plaid shirt and pressed it to the nasty wound on her neck. "You're gonna need to get that looked at." Ria silently nodded her head afraid of making the stranger angry.

"What was that guy?" Ria continued to shake as she tried to figure out why this was happening to her. The man introduced himself as Bobby and reluctantly explained that a real life vampire attacked her and she's lucky he'd been tracking the leech when he caught up to them in the alley.

Ria wanted to keep asking questions but something about this man told her he's not one for explaining things to a foolish girl like her. He scolded her but good and sent Ria on her way with a warning about avoiding situations like this in the future and not to be such an idjit.

The once naïve girl left that dirty alley a new person. Her eyes opened to things that go bump in the night. Ria from that night forward threw herself into the world of the supernatural. Research had been her main concern but soon going out and hunting the things that she read about consumed her whole life.

Ria's family and friends couldn't understand the change in her. They couldn't understand her being out all night and covering her apartment in devil's traps and salt. Her sister thought she needed to find a good man and settle down, her parents thought she needed to be committed and her best friend Amia thought she needed to finally get laid. It wasn't long after a particularly awkward intervention that Ria knew she needed to head out on the road.

The tiny beauty packed what was most important to her in her brother's old sea bag and took the first greyhound out of Buffalo, NY. Several weeks passed before she ended up at Singer Salvage. Bobby cursed her out and reluctantly took her under his wing, bringing her up right in the ways of hunting.

* * *

Ria shakes off her thoughts of the past and applies her vibrant crimson lipstick to her full lips. After clipping a large red rose in her glossy black curls Ria is ready for her turn on the stage. She knows Bobby needs her but she also needs the cash from her performance before hitting the road.

Ria's a burlesque dancer and sometimes stripper if she's really desperate. She's only gone topless a handful of times but that was only because she really needed the cash to purchase a vehicle. Catching a bus from town to town had gotten pretty expensive and tedious.

Ria stumbled into the world of burlesque when an older woman with a head full of snow-white hair in a small diner told her she had the body for it, an hourglass shape that could make her a lot of money. Especially because the old woman named Olivia owned such a place that needed an exotic Spanish Rose.

Ria's mother always told her, _'Mija, god would not have made you so beautiful for nothing…'_ Ria doubts this is what God or her mother had in mind.

The money is good and no one really asks too many questions about how she spends her off time. It's easy to go from town to town and make some decent cash for a few nights work. Nursing hunters don't really pay the bills. The hunters she meets always need a few stitches there or some pain meds here. They usually trade weapons for her nursing skills or show her some new techniques in dealing with demons.

Occasionally there'll be a twenty-dollar bill or two slipped in her small hand as a thank you for patching them up. But when the money is really tight Ria will find a local club and dance a few nights for lonely men or unsatisfied husbands. She slips on a thick accent, ruby-red lips and becomes an exotic Spanish rose.

Ria's glad that Bobby called. She's just finished up tracking a demon that feeds off the fear of small children. She tousled with the demon for a minute and Ria eventually exorcised the bitch but was unable to save the poor bastard she occupied. That's just how is goes sometimes. You save a few and you lose a few but you keep on fighting.

Ria checks over her body making sure that the bruises she got from her last hunt are well hidden. Once satisfied that her black and red corset is cinched just right Ria takes to the stage and shakes her moneymakers to the Marilyn Monroe classic diamonds are a girl's best friend.

There are whistles and catcalls and even proposals of marriage. The curvy brunette tunes them out as she shimmies and shakes to the music. A few flirtatious winks and smiles earn her a few extra bills. But the real money-maker is when she purrs a seductive _"Papi"_ into the ear of a paunchy booze soaked business man in a nondescript wrinkled grey suit.

After a few more dances and a few private chats where she plies the grabby men with more expensive champagne which earns Ria a nice commission, the Latina is ready to hit the road with a huge wad of hundred-dollar bills. The money she earned the past two weeks will buy medical supplies for at least a month or two and keep her from sleeping in her truck.

The club owner and the other dancers are sad to see Ria go but she knows Bobby wouldn't have called if he didn't really need the help. Ria pretty much has an idea of what's going on. Bobby's a father figure to the Winchester boys and Sam has tried everything he can to get his brother out of the pit.

Ria thinks the younger Winchester just might have found a crossroad demon willing to deal. She hopes not but those boys will do anything for each other, after all that's exactly what got them into this mess in the first place.

Ria's not exactly sure why Bobby needs her help with research. Bobby has a more extensive library than her own haphazard collection. The tiny brunette won't question her mentor. She'll pretty much do whatever the man asks, so if he wants her to research then she'll research till her honey colored eyes fall out her head if that's what it takes.

It takes two days driving to get to Bobby's but Ria makes it in one piece. The brunette makes sure to stop by the local farmers market before heading to his home. If she knows anything about Bobby it's that his fridge is seriously lacking in healthy food options. One cannot live on bourbon and chili alone.

Ria's cell rings as she grabs the canvas bags from the back of her dark blue 55' Chevy pickup. Her precious Bess that cost her an arm and a leg but is worth every penny. "Hola mami…" Ria's raspy voice chirps tiredly into the phone.

"When are you coming home? You know your sister is getting married in a few months." Lydia Gonzalez is not a woman to waste time on banal chit-chat. She's always straight to the point.

"I'm good…and you too. That's great." Ria ignores her mother's matter of fact tone of voice.

"Seriously mija, you can't just traipse around the country like some gypsy. You have a family and when is the last time you went to mass?" Lydia scolds her grown daughter like a two-year old child.

Ria ignores the twinge of pain that hits her right in the chest. Always the good catholic girl and what did that get her. She'd been attacked by a monster that God just turned a blind eye too. Still she occasionally stops in a church on her way through a town she's hunting in.

Ria hasn't completely let her faith go. It's just not as strong as it once been. She'll make her confession and she's pretty sure the priest doesn't believe half of what she says but she'll do her penance anyway. Four Hail Mary's and six Our Father's for exposing her carnal flesh to married men.

"Did you get the money I sent?" Ria just plows through the conversation as fast as she can. Ria knows that her mother is never going to let up with her guilt trips.

"Do I even want to know how you got it?" Lydia isn't a fool. She knows her daughter is never in one place for very long. The Puerto Rican mother of five knows that her youngest girl is chasing after something. If only Ria would come home. Lydia's not sure what has her daughter so consumed but whatever it is will not end well for Ria.

"Mami I have to go. I'm fine. I'm still alive. Don't worry so much. I'll call you next week. Give pa my love." Ria hangs up the phone before her mother can answer back. She fishes out the spare key Bobby gave her last year from her oversized purse.

The musty scent of old books hits her quickly and Ria can feel herself relax. This is home. Ria opens the fridge and sure enough all that's there is an old jar of mustard, some moldy cheese, a few beers and a jar of lamb's blood. The cupboards are full of cans of pork and beans. Did this man even know what a vegetable looked like?

Once the kitchen is cleaned and stocked to Ria's liking, she takes a quick hot shower before throwing herself into Bobby's massive library of supernatural books.

Her dark glossy curls are pulled into a messy bun atop her round head. Her Victoria Secret PINK brand yoga pants and tank top cling to her round shape in all the right places. The deep rosy pink of her top brings out the golden tones in her caramel colored skin. Ria's purple cat eye glasses sit precariously on the tip of her small nose.

She flips a few pages of several books spread across Bobby's messy desk. Her tan legs pulled up underneath her as she taps furiously on her IPad, taking a few notes about Hell and if anyone has ever been saved from its fiery pits.

This is how Bobby and Dean find the curvy Latina, deep in her thoughts as she bites her plump bottom lip. Her Monroe piercing sparkling just under the bottom left side of her Cupid's bow lip.

"Bout time you got here." Bobby grinds out as Ria's dark head snaps up from the depths of the large tome in her lap.

"Holy shit your Dean Winchester!" Ria drops the large book in her lap as she jumps up in surprise. "How the fuck did you get out of hell?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to find out." The gravel in the eldest Winchester's voice is more pronounced from four months of screaming out in pain during his stay in the pit.

Dean eyes Ria a little wearily. In his years of hunting he's never come across the girl but if Bobby can vouch for her than he'll trust her to help out. The old drunk thinks of the short female like a daughter.

"Dean this is Ria Gonzalez. I called her in to help figure this mess out. She's pretty damn smart. " Bobby unceremoniously drops his tattered duffel on the scuffed up hardwood floor.

"You're the nurse. I heard of you. My dad told me once that I should get a hold of you if I ever needed some urgent care." Dean vaguely remembers the conversation with his father. At the time Dean found it amusing that there was a nurse/hunter out and about on the road.

"That's me. I heard about your dad. He was a really good guy, saved my ass once or twice." Ria walks around the desk and grabs her black back pack. She pulls out a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.

"What ya got there kid?" Bobby barks at her while pouring himself a shot of whiskey.

"Just wanna make sure everything is as it should be Old Man." The playful tone of her smoky voice makes Bobby crack a small grin.

"I'm fine. I feel tired and hungry but good." Dean wasn't one to admit if he was feeling a little off now and then.

"I'll be quick." Ria swiftly and with a certain practiced ease begins her examination of Dean.

She takes his vitals then asks the young hunter to take off his shirt. A crocked smirk spreads across his handsome face. "Usually I get a few drinks in me before I start getting naked."

Ria rolls her honey doe eyes. "Believe me Chulo, it's nothing I haven't seen before." Ria pats Dean's stubble cheek with her small hand. Dean's green eyes travel not so subtlety to the ample cleavage on display.

He can tell the double d's are real by the sway of the soft flesh encased in pink lace. It's been fucking years since Dean has seen a perfect pair of breast and he's taking full advantage of his view.

"Feisty…I like it." Dean smirks again before stripping his tight grey t-shirt off. Ria ignores the ogling. She's been getting those looks since she hit puberty and her small body filled out in all the right places.

Majority of men never look in her in the eyes. Ria's pretty sure if she asks Dean what color her eyes are the hunter wouldn't even come close to giving the right answer.

Ria studies the hand shaped burn on Dean's shoulder before poking and prodding his warm skin. "Does it hurt when I do this?" Her small calloused fingers press firmly right about where his liver should be located.

"No." Dean watches Ria as she finally takes a look at the red swollen flesh of his burn. Her small fingers graze the raised flesh and a little tingle spreads through her body. Something about this burn seems off.

Ria digs through her black bag and pulls out a small jar. She gingerly applies the ointment and Dean hisses at first but the cooling sensation eases the pain. "Here, keep this. Put it on to ease the pain." Ria hands Dean the jar and takes one long appraising look at the man.

Dean feels exposed and naked that has nothing to do with him being shirtless. "You done? I got more important things to do than play doctor." His gruffness doesn't phase Ria. She's use to Bobby's personality and Dean is just like the old man.

"I'm done. Everything looks good." Ria is just slightly confused by the green-eyed man in front of her.

"That's a good thing…right?" Bobby can tell that Ria isn't sure that everything is as it seems.

"He's perfect. But that's the problem, every vital is text-book perfect. Nobody is that perfect, especially not hunters." Ria can't seem to wrap her head around how Dean is standing in front of her in such pristine condition.

"So what are ya saying sweetheart? I got a clean bill of health." Dean pulls on his t-shirt and locks eyes with the brunette. Something about her honey irises catches him off guard. He doesn't like how he can't read her as well as she can read him.

"Whatever pulled you from the pit brought you back in pristine condition. It's like day one. Like the moment you were born." Ria tosses her stethoscope and glasses in her bag. She takes the glass of whiskey from Bobby's hand and takes a sip. She grimaces at the burn in her throat.

Bobby and Ria have no idea what could have enough power to do something like that. Neither hunter has come across anything in their earlier research to suggest that souls could be rescued from hell.

Bobby tells them they should go see Pamela after they find Sam. Pamela is a powerful psychic and might be able to find out what creature pulled Dean from the pit. Then maybe they can find a way to hunt it.

The youngest Winchester is in the area and Dean wonders if he might have had something to do with his sudden reincarnation. Dean wants answers and hopefully Sam and Pamela can give him the information he needs.

Ria changes out of her sweats and into her typical pin-up girl outfit. A pair of black cropped pants, a red gingham button up top cinched at her waist with a black belt and bedazzled skull buckle, white silk flower clipped in her shiny black curls and a pair of red patent leather cork heeled wedges. Her signature red lips and black cat-eye liner finishes her retro look.

Dean's not quite sure what to make of the female hunter. She's the most feminine hunter he's encountered besides Jo, Ellen, and Annie. Most female hunters have more facial hair than Bobby. Dean shudders at the thought. If it weren't for the lip piercing and the few tattoos he can see Ria could step right out of a picture of the 1950's.

A few hours later Bobby, the two Winchesters and Ria are in the emergency room parking lot. Stunned is not even the right word to describe the group of hunters. Whoever this Castiel is was more powerful than anything any of them have dealt with before.

Sam is oddly preoccupied and Ria wonders if it has anything to do with the brunette in his hotel room from earlier. Ria has always been the silent observer in her crazy loud family and can read people rather well because of that.

Sam and the girl seemed to have just met but something about the way they looked at each other just screamed there is more to the story between them. Ria at this point doesn't really care, all she wants to do is distance herself from this situation as quickly as possible.

Sam leaves to take care of some things which Ria feels has to do with the mysterious girl and Dean makes a plan with Bobby. "We summon the bastard and then we gank it after we figure out what it wants." Dean is stalking around the parking lot like a caged tiger.

"Are you crazy? A glance at it burned Pamela's eyes out of her head." Ria loves Bobby but she's ready to pack her bags and hit the road. Getting involved with the Winchesters is like playing Russian roulette.

"What else am I supposed to do? This thing wants me out of Hell for a reason. I'm not waiting around for it to come to me. I'm going after it with or without you sweetheart." Dean growls at the tiny brunette.

Bobby gives her that look she can't say no to. The one that says 'I saved you and you kinda owe me so just help out cuz ya know I'd do the same for you' look. "I'm in. Let's just do this right."

An hour later the trio is painting every symbol and summoning ritual they can think of on the walls and floor of an abandoned barn. Ria drops her paint brush in the empty can of black paint and scans her IPAD for any other symbols she can think of.

Dean and Bobby check over their stash of weapons trying to make sure they're prepared for anything that comes their way. Ria can't help but to smirk at the offended look Bobby gives Dean when he asks if he did the ritual the right way. If a ritual needs to be done Bobby Singer is the man who knows exactly what to do.

Suddenly everything is quite, so quite that not even a cricket is heard in the silence. The hairs on Ria's neck stand on edge as the tin roof rattles like crazy. Dean wistfully muses that it's just the wind but all three hunters know it's not.

Each hunter grabs their favorite weapon, for Ria it's large serrated blade dipped in holy water. The girl has always been good with knives. She's a decent shot but is a genius when it comes to anything sharp. Her aim is true and Ria can hit a moving target at twenty paces blindfolded.

Ria's grip tightens on the worn wooden handle as the barn begins to shake uncontrollably. Bobby takes a protective stance in front of her as the lights begin to pop sending sparks and shards of glass everywhere. The barn doors fly open and in the haze of sparks and smoke walks in a man.

Ria's is slightly underwhelmed at the sight of the unassuming man in his disheveled black suit and beige trench coat. She can feel her stomach drop at his intense stare. The blue of his eyes are as intense as the sea after a storm. He seems to be studying them. Dean and Bobby don't bother asking questions as they unload every bullet in their guns.

The man just keeps steadily walking towards them as if nothing has happened. "Who are you?" Dean demands as he grabs the demon knife tightly behind his back.

The man looks almost bored as he studies Dean. "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." His voice is low and raspy and the nonchalant tone makes Ria's nerves stand on edge.

"Yeah…thanks for that." Dean grounds out as his grip tightens on Ruby's knife before he plunges it deep into the stranger's chest. Ria holds her breath as the man continues to seem unfazed by the attack.

He seems almost amused as he pulls the bloody blade from his chest. A surge of fear passes between all three hunters as Bobby takes a swing at the man with an iron crowbar.

Without so much as a backwards glance Bobby's attack is thwarted by the dark-haired stranger. Ria goes to help but Dean keeps a tight hold on her as Bobby is inexplicably knocked unconscious by a simple touch of fingers to his forehead.

Ria shakes off Dean's hold as the man turns he attention back to the green-eyed hunter. She ignores their exchange of words as she cradles Bobby's head in her lap. The only thing that catches her attention is when the stranger proclaims himself to be an angel of the lord.

The familiar pang in her chest seems to intensify at his mentioning of God. Ria's faith has been tested so many times for her to keep count but as the lightning and thunder roars about them and the shadowy image of wings manifests itself somehow that small part of her still believes.

"Why'd you do it?" Dean's face is hard as stone and the way Castiel is looking at him as if he can see into the very depths of his soul sends a chill down Dean and Ria's spines.

The angel looks solemnly between the two hunters. "Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you." He says this like it's the most obvious reason for Dean's soul being saved.

"Work?" Dean's not quite sure what this so-called angel wants from him. What type of work could God need from a man like him?

Castiel turns his all-knowing gaze to the woman cradling the old man's head in her lap. "You've already begun your mission. You've found the virtuous woman and now you must protect her."

Dean can't help but to give a snort of derision at the blue-eyed stranger's comment. "She ain't a virtuous woman. She's a stripper." Dean glares at Castiel and tries to understand the angel in front of him.

Castiel seems confused as he peers intensely into Ria's honey colored irises. "She is a daughter of Mary with no touch of man. It is in her blood." His matter of fact tone of voice makes Ria's eyes tear up. She doesn't like feeling so exposed in front of others.

"Wait a minute…you're a virgin?" Dean suddenly seems to have forgotten the angel and turns his disbelieving eyes on the Latina.

The color rises in Ria's cheeks and she can feel the heat in her face. "Just because I take my clothes off for money doesn't mean I sleep with men for money." The embarrassment is quickly replaced with anger.

"Seriously?" Dean can't seem to wrap his mind around how someone who looks like she does and works at the places she does can still be hanging on to her V card.

Ria ignores him and runs a her small hand over Bobby's still face. Castiel doesn't understand the raven haired woman's sudden anger. Isn't maintaining ones virtue a blessing? The angel can't seem to reason out why the eldest Winchester seems so surprised at revelation of Ria's virginity.

"Despite what you think God has chosen her and it is your job to protect her." Castiel's voice leaves no room for discussion.

"It has been commanded by God that the righteous man will protect the virtuous woman till the time comes for her to meet the chosen one. It is then that the virtuous woman and the chosen one shall conceive a child. This child shall unite heaven and earth against hell. This is God's will." Castiel curiously watches as Ria flashes him a contemptuous glare.

"You can tell your God that my womb isn't for rent. I'm not making babies with a stranger just because it's God's will. This is my body and my free will and I refuse." Ria stomps away from Bobby's unconscious form as she tries to quell the rising anger inside her.

"God is not asking…he is telling you what must be done." The irritation is clearly readable in the borrowed face of the angel. This is not a being that is accustomed to being told no.

Before Ria can respond Castiel is gone. With a flutter of invisible wings and in a blink of an eye the angel ceases to be in the old barn. Dean eyes Ria wearily as if this whole situation is her fault.

Bobby groans lowly as he begins to regain consciousness. Ria exhales deeply and takes a seat next to Bobby. She checks his pulse, respirations, and makes sure his pupils are not fixed and dilated.

"Stop fussin' over me kid. I'm fine." Bobby growls as he gets his bearings back. The old man isn't sure what the hell happened but whatever it is has Dean and Ria on edge. Neither looks too inclined to discuss what just went down. Meanwhile Bobby really does need a drink before either of them starts explaining.

Something tells him that tonight is definitely a bourbon type of night. "Come on old man let's get you home." Ria can still feel the twinge of electricity in the air and the distinct smell of thunder makes her stomach clench tight.

Dean still keeps his eyes on Ria and he's not sure what to believe. Demons and monsters are real to him. Those are things he can deal with but God and angels are just way out of the scope of his understanding. Dean thinks that the angel is right when he said he didn't believe he's worth saving.

He's just a hunter with a GED and a give em' hell attitude but that's hardly a qualification for carrying out God's will. "She's right. Let's get the hell out of here."

They pack up their gear as quickly as possible and head out to find Sam. There is research that needs to be done before the angel finds them again. The hunters are determined to be ready for him the next time Castiel decides to drop in on them. One can never be too prepared.

**A/N: Please Review**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own Supernatural**

**I'd like to thanks those that took the time to review and those that read, alerted and favorite this story. I really appreciate it. Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you all like it. Please review and let me know what you think. **

**Chapter 2**

* * *

The sun slinks up the horizon at a snail's pace. So much like a golden coin dipped in crimson streaking the lavender sky with brilliant shades of red and orange. Ria takes a deep breath and lets her small fingers run over the cool sleek silver throwing knives that are custom-made just for her. She lets the subtle weight of the six-inch blade balance in her small hand.

Ria breathes out slowly and spins quickly letting the knife slice through the air and straight into the bulls-eye painted on the wooden board thirty feet in front of her. Ria continues this until all twelve knives are imbedded into the bulls-eye. This is the only thing that can de-stress her. The quite morning and the familiar routine of practicing her knife throwing skills calm her racing mind.

Everything the angel told her has made Ria question every detail in her life. Every decision she has made is being analyzed over and over. Ria is trying to figure out if there is some way to change this so-called destiny of hers. The possibility of becoming God's new baby mama just doesn't sit right with the short brunette.

* * *

Bobby sips on his Irish coffee while watching Ria from his window prepare her knives for another round. She's gotten better over the years. Bobby can remember a time when Ria could barely shoot a gun and knives terrified her. Now Ria's an efficient hunter with deadly weapons skills.

"I don't even know what the fuck I'm looking for anymore." Dean groans lowly and rubs his tired green eyes. The hunters have been up all night reading anything they could about angels and God.

A few hours earlier Sam and Ria went to bed. Dean still reeling from his time in the pit is reluctant to slip into the nightmares that are waiting for him. Its five thirty in the morning and Dean doesn't understand how Ria is up at this time. Dean drags himself to the window and takes a moment to check out what Bobby's protégé is up to.

Dean has to admit it's pretty damn sexy watching the way Ria moves with her blades. He's both turned on and a little frightened. Bobby smirks at Dean's mildly impressed expression.

"You think she's good with throwing them daggers, you should see her with those Japanese sai. The girl is lethal." There is a measure of pride in the way Bobby speaks about Ria.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side. Don't need her going all Lorraina Bobbitt on me." Dean cringes just a little.

Bobby gives Dean a long appraising look. "What?" Dean doesn't like the hard glare Bobby is sending his way.

"I'm only gonna say this once…Ria's off limits. She ain't one of those loose women you like. She's a good girl."

Bobby never wanted kids, too afraid that he'd end up like his father. But Ria has become like a daughter to him and he's a little protective of her. The old drunk thinks of the Winchesters as sons too. He just doesn't want anything to happen to disturb the semblance of calm that they are experiencing at the moment.

Dean arches his brow and gives a faint nod of agreement. He'll do whatever Bobby asks of him. Dean has too much respect for the man who has been more of a dad to him than his own father.

"Hello Dean." The low raspy voice startles the two hunters.

"Jesus!" Bobby doesn't like being snuck up on. The old man isn't sure his heart can take being surprised by an angel all the time.

"No, Castiel. Jesus is my father's human bastard son." Castiel tilts his head and studies the two men in front of him. He's not sure if he'll ever understand humans.

"Whatever…what do you want?" Dean rolls his green eyes and folds his arms across his chest. He's in no mood to deal with God's plan at the moment.

"I've come to see if the virtuous woman has changed her mind." Castiel walks around the living room taking in the oddity of the run down home.

Before Dean can answer Ria walks in the house. Her cheeks are flush full of rosy color and her honey eyes are bright and shiny. Ria wears no make-up and the angel can make out just a light sprinkling of freckles along the bridge of her small nose. For some strange reason Castiel's vessel appreciates the fullness of her bottom lip. He's not sure why the sparkling stud just under the left corner of said lip captures his attention.

Ria gives the dark-haired angel a cold look. The calm soothing feeling she got from throwing her knives seeps from her body the moment she lays eyes on Castiel. She doesn't like how intense his blue eyes are. Ria knows those are the eyes of his vessel but deep inside she can sense the celestial being residing within.

Dean stands slightly in front of Ria just in case he has to pull the tiny brunette away from the angel. She looks as if she's ready to pounce on Castiel like a fierce panther. Dean has to hide his smirk because the softness of her face and the furious pout she wears makes Ria look more like an angry kitten.

"I'm not agreeing to be used as some kind of incubator for the spawn of God." Ria's tempted to pull out a knife and stab Castiel just for looking at her in that all-knowing way of his. Not once have his eyes left her face. It's not something Ria is used to. Most men can't take their eyes off her curves.

The angel turns his attention to the large disorganized mahogany desk. He tries to quell his rising irritation with the two humans his father has chosen. Castiel stops his perusal of the contents of Bobby's messy desk and turns those stormy blues towards the righteous man and the virtuous woman.

"Gabriel didn't have this many problems with Mary." The gravel in his voice gives Ria the chills.

"I'm not Mary." Ria stomps pass the trench coat wearing angel and stashes the leather satchel that contains the silver knives in her sea bag.

"No you are not." Disdain drips from every word. Castiel stalks closer to Ria never letting his gaze drop from her molten honey irises.

"Mary was kind, faithful and obedient. She accepted her duty with grace not many possess." He's so close Ria can feel the unnatural heat from his body and the lingering scent of the earth during a thunder-storm.

Tears sting Ria's eyes but she refuses to let them fall. Castiel can see the doubt, fear, and the all-consuming feeling of unworthiness that clings to her soul.

"You are stubborn, selfish and petulant. God is entrusting you with his most precious gift and you throw it back in his face." The anger rolls off the stoic angel in tumultuous waves.

Ria sucks in a deep breath as the traitorous tears fall from her eyes. Dean wants to intervene but Bobby keeps a solid grip on his arm. Bobby knows that the angel won't hurt the virtuous woman. God's will won't allow for it.

Castiel tilts his head and scrutinizes the small woman in front of him. "Your duty is so much more than yourself. The fate of the world will lie with your future child." He leans in closer to see the conflict swirling in her large doe eyes.

"I...I can't." Ria's voice is just a rough whisper and the tears seem to flow faster than before.

Castiel narrows his eyes. "What is the matter with you? Do you truly believe that you're only worth what a man will pay for a glimpse of your flesh?"

Before Ria can think over her actions her small hand slaps the angel's stubble cheek. Castiel seems completely unfazed while Ria lets out the breath she didn't realize she was still holding. She slips around his still form and runs out the living room and up the stairs to her room. The door slams with a resounding echo.

"What the fuck was that about? You can't just come here and unload all that bullshit on her." Dean doesn't know Ria that well but he knows that she doesn't deserve to have all this pressure put on her.

Castiel doesn't react. His stillness is unnerving. "She needs to accept her birthright. I don't have the luxury of time to ease her into her responsibility. There are more pressing matters at hand."

"Yeah…what is so darn important?" Bobby is a formidable man when he needs to be. He's let the angel say what he had to earlier but he won't give him another free pass with Ria.

"The apocalypse." Castiel says this as if he's reciting a grocery list.

"You're kidding? Right?" Dean chuckles lightly but Castiel's face show no signs of amusement.

"No I am not. Lucifer is coming very close to being freed from his cage." Castiel purses his full lips and clenches his hands into fist. He feels like he's wasting time trying to explain the urgency that's needed in finding the chosen one.

"You mean the devil." Bobby pours himself a glass of whiskey and makes it a double.

"My older brother has many names. Lucifer is what my father first called him. Demons are trying to break the seals on his cage and if he's freed the world you know will come to an end." The angel turns towards the window and lets his words sink in.

Bobby downs his drink and Dean stands stiffly waiting for Castiel to explain what any of this has to do with him and Ria. Castiel turns his attention back to the young man who is supposedly humanity's last hope.

"When my older brother was tossed from heaven he took his vengeance out on a human soul and twisted it till it became a demon. You know her as Lilith. It goes without saying that my father's anger was immense." Castiel casts a glance at the dark stormy face of Dean Winchester. Lilith is still very much a sore subject with the young hunter.

"God imprisoned him in a cage deep within the pits of hell. There are hundreds of seals but only sixty-six of them need to be broken for Lucifer to be freed." The angel stands motionless, hands at his side and face stoic as ever.

"What does any of that have to do with us? Sounds like more of a big guy upstairs kinda problem." Dean glares forcefully at the blank faced angel.

"Listen Boy…my brothers and sisters are dying as they try to prevent Lucifer from walking the earth. If those abominations manage to free my brother who do you think he will be coming for once he finds his vessel? That girl upstairs has the capability to carry a child who will either save the world or destroy it." Castiel advances towards the two hunters. A cold fire blazes behind his blue eyes.

"I suggest you find a way to convince her to accept her duty or I will." Castiel casts one more icy glare at the two men before disappearing in a blink of an eye. The silent warning of what is to come if they don't comply makes Dean grind his teeth in frustration. The faintest rustling of feathers the only indication the angel was ever there.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean rakes his hand through his short hair. Who knew angels could be such dicks. How is he possibly going to get a stubborn Latina to do what Castiel wants? Ria doesn't seem like the type of woman to just do as she's told.

"I'm gonna tell ya right now Ria's not one to be told what to do. She's headstrong and likes to thinks she's right all the damn time." Bobby is all too familiar with Ria's feisty side.

Dean drops down on the worn sofa and the weight of the world seems to settle on his shoulders. Dean lays back and throws his arm over his eyes. The sleeplessness of the past few days catches up to him. Bobby leaves him to get some rest. Before long Dean is out cold. The flames are kept at bay by the sheer exhaustion he feels but the nightmares always seem to catch up.

* * *

Hours pass and Dean Startles awake to a darken living room. He takes a few deep breaths before stumbling to the kitchen where he finds Bobby eating his typical dinner of chili and cornbread.

"Bout time you woke up sleeping beauty." Bobby flips through some ancient looking book while Sam makes his way to the kitchen.

The younger Winchester has been secretive but Dean is too preoccupied with the situation with Ria and Castiel to even deal with whatever Sam has gotten himself into. Dean knows that eventually he'll have to confront his brother but now he just wants to act as if everything is like it used to be when things were so much simpler. No god or angels, just demons and monsters that needed to be ganked.

Dean grabs a beer from the fridge and chugs half the bottle. "Where's Ria?" The righteous man rolls his shoulders trying to work some of the kinks out his muscles.

"She went to work." Bobby doesn't even glance up from the yellowed pages of his book. He just hands Sam some papers and the two continue with their research.

"What she hunting? Vamp, demon…ghost?" Dean finishes his beer and grabs another.

"Not that work idjit…her other job." Bobby shakes his head and pretends that it doesn't bother him that Ria at the moment is shaking her ass for some pervy business man.

"Oh…" Dean is suddenly uncomfortable with Ria not being in the house. A strange feeling of protectiveness hits him hard. Probably a side effect of his duty as the righteous man.

"Hey Sammy how bout we pay Ria a visit." Dean has a sudden urge to see her and make sure she's in once piece.

Sam shakes his head and goes back to typing on his laptop. "Stop with the bitch face Sam and get your ass up." The nagging feeling in Dean's gut is getting worse by the second. What if she's hurt? What if some demon is following her? What if some jerk tries to manhandle her? So many unpleasant scenarios run through the hunter's mind.

"I can't Dean. I'm working on some research. Someone's gotta figure this mess out." Sam seems evasive and Dean doesn't like this side of his brother.

"Just let her be Dean. She'll be home soon. Ria can take care of herself. She's a big girl." Bobby gives Dean a look that lets him know that this isn't up for discussion.

"Fine but if anything happens to her you can explain it to that feathered tax accountant." Dean stalks away, the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

The hours tick by and Dean spends the time cleaning every gun in the Winchester's possession. Around three thirty am Ria comes in wearing a black high waist pencil skirt, sheer purple secretary blouse, and four-inch black mary jane wedges. Her shiny black hair is styled in a typical victory roll hairstyle with a large purple orchid nestled just above her ear.

Dean grabs a couple of glasses and pours some bourbon in each. He hands Ria a glass and the short brunette tosses off her shoes and accepts the bourbon gratefully. Neither says much. There isn't anything to say. Both are stuck in this weird situation. They drink in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Ria's cell breaks the silence. She grabs her phone and Dean watches as the conversation is hurried and straight to the point. She hangs up with a determined look on her face. "I need your help. I got an injured hunter headed this way. I need the panic room prepped. Can you do that for me while I change?" Ria is cool and collected.

"Yeah…of course. I'll wake Sammy." Dean rushes up the steps and wakes Bobby and Sam. Meanwhile Ria throws on some sweats and grabs her bag of medical supplies.

The three men listen intently as Ria dictates things that need to be done. Bobby retrieves some O neg blood Ria has stashed in a large fridge in the basement. Sam sanitizes the tools and Dean clears out the panic room. The squealing of tires signals the arrival of the injured hunter.

Ria runs outside as fast as her small legs can take her. She's pulling on rubber gloves as quickly as she can while the beat up silver dodge Durango comes to a stop. A tall Asian man with close-cropped black hair and wide shoulders flings open the driver side door.

He's battered and bruised but not as bad off as the blonde man in the back seat. "Rafe what the hell happened?" Ria addresses the driver with familiarity. She's known these two since she started hunting on the road.

"Hell hounds. A shit load of them a few towns over. It…it happened so fast." Rafe helps Sam and Dean as the three men drag the blood covered hunter to the panic room.

"Sam get the O neg ready now." Ria cuts open the pant leg that's soaked in blood. She steels herself against the worsening situation. "Oh god…it's his femoral artery. I need to clamp it now." Ria grabs gauze and applies pressure as she quickly figures out what needs to be done.

"Fuck Duke…why do you always have to be the hero?" Ria looks tenderly at the blonde hunter while connecting the IV of O neg to his arm. They've had a thing but nothing too serious. Something always kept Ria from taking the next step with the handsome former Navy Seal.

"Rafe I need you to hold his legs down. Sam, hold his shoulders. I can't give him morphine so the pain's gonna be bad." Ria locks eyes with Dean and she knows this will be hard for him.

Dean looks cold stone as Ria works to slow the flow of blood. The sharp instruments, blood and screams reminds him too much of hell.

"I'm going to make an incison…Dean I need you to hold open the wound so I can clamp the artery." Ria says a silent prayer and with a shaky hand slices open the leg wound wider. She quickly drops the scalpel and grabs the clamp Bobby is holding.

Dean using his hands pulls open the wound while Duke screams out in pain. Sam and Rafe use all their strength to keep the injured man still. Ria painstakingly probes the wound for the artery. She's trying ignore the loud screams. Ria finally clamps the artery but Duke has lost so much blood. Ria takes the needle and thread from Bobby.

Ria does her stitches quickly but the fear of infection and shock still linger. Ria takes Duke's vitals and his breaths are shallow and labored. His heart rate is a little tacky and his skin is clammy and pale. The prognosis is not good.

Ria tends to his other wounds as Duke goes in and out of consciousness. "What were you doing in a town full of hell hounds?"

Rafe hisses as Bobby rubs some antiseptic in the wounds on his arm. "They weren't there when Duke and I showed up. We were just passing through and suddenly the place is overrun with screaming people and hell hounds. It's fucking crazy." Rafe looks beat down and confused.

Ria goes back to monitoring Duke but the man needs more medical help than she can give. "Hey doll face." Duke's voice is barely a whisper. Ria gives him a watery smile.

"Hey sailor." Ria removes her bloodied gloves and takes his large calloused hand in her small one.

Duke turns shiny brown eyes towards the petite beauty. He uses his free hand to pull his dog tags from his neck. "You know where to send these. Rafe's got my letter." Duke coughs roughly.

"No…no. You're gonna be fine. We're going to get you to the hospital and everything is gonna be fine." Ria hiccups back her sobs as Duke presses the dog tags into her small hand.

Sam, Dean and Bobby watch grimly from the other side of the panic room while Rafe tries to not to cry as his best friend and brother says his last words. Hunters die all the time but it doesn't make it any easier.

"At…at least I got to see your pretty face one more time." Duke groans lowly. The pain is becoming too much for the former military man.

"Hush. You still owe me dinner and movie Sailor." Ria smiles softly but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Duke chuckles faintly. "That I do Ma'am, but I'm sorry I just might have to break that promise." He squeezes Ria's small hand tighter.

"It was always you. Always you." Duke's breaths come out shallow and quicker. Blood dribbles from the corner of his mouth. His internal injuries are worse than Ria has anticipated. She's done all she can and it's not enough.

"I know." Ria touches her forehead to Duke's as the last breath slips from his body. She places a gentle kiss to his lips as her small fingers close the lids to his chocolate brown eyes.

Ria takes in a shaky breath and grips the dog tags tightly in her hand. She blinks back her tears as she silently leaves the panic room. Bobby covers Duke's body with a sheet while Sam tends to the rest of Rafe's wounds. Dean lets out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Scenes like these are common amongst hunters but it still doesn't make it easy. Dean walks upstairs and watches as Ria with trembling hands pours herself a shot. She downs the liquid quickly as she struggles to keep the tears from falling.

Dean walks over to the small woman and takes the glass from her trembling hand. "That's water." She's so overwhelmed that she can't tell the difference between water and tequila.

A broken sob escapes her small mouth and Ria bites her bottom lip to keep from screaming out. "I…I…I have to go. I can't breathe…can't breathe." No matter how hard she tries Ria can't seem to catch her breath. The world is spinning around her and her lungs burn from the lack of oxygen.

Dean grabs her roughly by the arm and pulls her outside into the dusky morning light. The cool crisp air hits Ria like a sledgehammer and she manages to take in a deep breath. Dean's not good at comforting crying women. He feels awkward and tense. Ria's not really crying, more like struggling to keep the tears from falling.

"Who are the dog tags going to?" Dean's not sure why he's asking about them but he needs to talk about something.

Ria looks at Dean as if she just realized he's there. "Duke has a little girl in Norfolk, Va. She just turned seven." Ria takes another deep breath and wipes away the few stray tears from her cheeks.

Dean feels like he's been sucker punched in his gut. That poor kid's gonna grow up without a father. He didn't really know Duke that well but they've run into each other once or twice on the job. Most hunters know of other hunters. Dean knows that Duke hadn't been in the supernatural life for long. It just plain sucks when kids are involved.

Ria gives Dean a sad smile. "This is why I'm angry with God. Good people die for no reason and these monsters get to exist and he does nothing."

Dean knows that there is more to Ria's personal story. She's lost more than just Duke. Dean's not one for chick flick moments and he won't push her to talk. Ria will talk when she's ready.

Dean silently watches as Ria does what hunters do in this situation. She pushes down her tears and steels herself against the overwhelming sadness that is nipping at her heels like a rabid dog. "Talk to me…say anything. I just need to think of something else."

Dean runs his hand through his short hair and takes a deep breath. He decides to just tell her everything that Castiel told them about Lucifer and his cage. They might as well start making a plan because neither wanted to have their free will taken away. This is how they spend the few hours before Duke's hunter's funeral. The righteous man and the virtuous women did not know that two angels had watched them the whole time.

* * *

Castiel turns stormy blue eyes towards his brother Uriel. "Was this really necessary?" Anger cannot even adequately describe what he is feeling.

Uriel gives his little brother a satisfied smirk. "This so-called virtuous woman had too many romantic notions about that boy. That relationship needed to be nipped in the bud."

"The garrison could have gone to that town and prevented the seal from being broken. Those two innocents were led to slaughter for no good reason." Castiel's low raspy voice deepens with his anger.

"That girl needs to learn her own insignificance. Her attachments are hindering our plans." Uriel sneers.

"What plans are those?" Castiel narrows his eyes, the curiosity tempering his anger for the moment.

Uriel chuckles for moment. Castiel has always been so naïve. "Lucifer will walk the earth; Michael will defeat him then take the virtuous woman for himself. She will carry his child who will become a great warrior."

"Michael is not the chosen one. We must do as are father commanded" Castiel can hardly believe what Uriel is telling him.

Uriel's face hardens. "If you hadn't notice brother but our father left a long time ago. It's up to us now to do what must be done to protect heaven. Can't you see Castiel how important it is for Michael to sire this child?" Uriel wants so desperately for his brother to understand what must be done.

"No. This isn't the way we do things. Killing innocent humans is not what our father would want." Castiel doesn't understand why some angels despise the human race.

"You've spent too much time with these mudmonkeys. You've lost sight of the bigger picture." Uriel does little to hide his disdain for mankind.

"What would you have me do, Uriel? Go against our father's wishes is not something that I can do." The pain of realizing that his brother will never see eye to eye with him about humans hits Castiel like a bolt of lightning.

"Choose your side Castiel. Choose it wisely because you will either stand with us or against us." Uriel is gone in flash leaving Castiel to ponder his next move. Can he truly go against his father? Is he strong enough to stand against his brothers and sisters? Which side is right?

**A/N: Please Review**


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